The year 1993 in radio involved some significant events.

Events

*January **The

Quad Cities The Quad Cities is a region of cities (originally four, see History) in the U.S. states of Iowa and Illinois: Davenport and Bettendorf in southeastern Iowa, and Rock Island, Moline and East Moline in northwestern Illinois. These cities are t ...

' KSTT call letters are retired as 1170 AM is given the new call sign KJOC, reflecting that station's all-sports format. The station has been simulcasting

WXLP WXLP (96.9 MHz FM) is a commercial radio station, licensed to Moline, Illinois, and serving the Quad Cities area of Illinois and Iowa. The station is owned by Townsquare Media and broadcasts a classic rock radio format. Its radio studios and ...

's FM signal for the past four years, although its sports programming has been steadily increasing during this time. ** WPAT and

WPAT-FM WPAT-FM (93.1 FM) – branded "93.1 Amor" – is a radio station that programs a Spanish CHR radio format. Licensed to Paterson, New Jersey, the station is owned by the Spanish Broadcasting System and serves the New York metropolitan area. I ...

Paterson, NJ Paterson ( ) is the largest city in and the county seat of Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

quietly complete their evolution from

Beautiful Music Beautiful music (sometimes abbreviated as BM, B/EZ or BM/EZ for "beautiful music/easy listening") is a mostly instrumental music format that was prominent in North American radio from the late 1950s through the 1980s. Easy listening, elevator musi ...

to down-tempo

Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...

, still known as Easy 93. *4 January – WOWF/Detroit officially complete their flip from Top 40/CHR to

talk Talk may refer to: Communication * Communication, the encoding and decoding of exchanged messages between people * Conversation, interactive communication between two or more people * Lecture, an oral presentation intended to inform or instruct ...

as "Wow FM." *6 January – After 5 days of stunting with all-

Garth Brooks Troyal Garth Brooks (born February 7, 1962) is an American country music singer and songwriter. His integration of pop and rock elements into the country genre has earned him popularity, particularly in the United States with success on the co ...

music, rhythmic CHR-formatted WMXP/Pittsburgh flips to country as "K-Bear", WKQB. *10 January –

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

gets its second local country outlet when KDHT completes its move-in to the market and flips to "Big Dog 92.5." *15 January – KONC/Phoenix flips from classical to modern rock. A few weeks later, on 1 February, cross-town rival KFMA flips to beautiful music. *25 January – After stunting with all-

Elvis Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

music for 3 days, Top 40/CHR-formatted KFXD-FM/

Boise Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown area's ...

flips to adult contemporary. *26 January –

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

got its first country-formatted FM station when

CISS-FM CISS-FM (105.3 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station in Ottawa, Ontario. The station is owned by Rogers Media and broadcasts a hot adult contemporary format branded on-air as ''KiSS 105.3''. The radio studios and offices are co-located with ...

signs on the air. *February – KZKZ/ Ft. Smith flips from album rock to gospel, while KTEZ/

Lubbock Lubbock ( ) is the 10th-most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of government of Lubbock County. With a population of 260,993 in 2021, the city is also the 85th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the northwe ...

flips from beautiful music to country. *2 February – Pittsburgh picks up its third country outlet, as

WORD-FM WORD-FM (101.5 MHz) is a Christian talk radio station based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Owned by the Salem Media Group, the station broadcasts with an ERP of 43 kW. Its transmitter is located in Reserve Township, Pennsylvania. History I ...

's former 104.7 frequency flips from religious programming and became "Rebel 104.7", WXRB. *5 February **

WODZ WODZ-FM (96.1 MHz), branded as "The Eagle", is a radio station broadcasting a classic hits format. Licensed to Rome, New York, United States, the station serves the Utica-Rome market. The station is owned by Townsquare Media as part of a cluster ...

/Memphis flips from oldies to country as "Froggy 94", WOGY. **Top 40/CHR-formatted

KXXR KXXR (93.7 FM) is an active rock/mainstream rock radio station broadcasting to the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. It is owned by Cumulus Media, which also owns KQRS-FM. Its transmitter is located in Shoreview, Minnesota. Its studi ...

/Kansas City changes call letters and rebrands as KISF, "Kiss 107.3." *7 February – KLZR/

Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence is the county seat of Douglas County, Kansas, Douglas County, Kansas, United States, and the sixth-largest city in the state. It is in the northeastern sector of the state, astride Interstate 70, between the Kansas River, Kansas and Waka ...

flips from satellite-fed Hot AC to modern rock *15 February – WXQL/Jacksonville flips to Urban AC *19 February –

KBEQ KBEQ-FM (104.3 MHz "Q-104") is a commercial radio station in Kansas City, Missouri, serving the Kansas City radio market. It is owned by Steel City Media and airs a country radio format. The station's studios and offices are located on Mill St ...

/Kansas City drops its top-40 format of 20 years as "Q-104" to go country as "Young Country 104." It will initially be simulcast on KBZR 1030, which has been airing

Z-Rock Z Rock was a nationally syndicated radio network based in Dallas, Texas, United States that, from the mid-1980s through the mid-1990s, played heavy metal and hard rock music. The format was one of several 24-hour satellite-delivered music for ...

. The "Q-104" handle will return a few years later, but the format will remain country. *23 February –

KZGZ KZGZ (97.5 FM) — branded as Power 98 — is an rhythmic-leaning contemporary hit radio-formatted station broadcasting from the village of Hagåtña in the United States territory of Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, uninco ...

(9.75 FM) in Agana, Guam signs on the air for the first time. The first format is

rhythmic top 40 The Rhythmic chart (also called Rhythmic Airplay, and previously named Rhythmic Songs, Rhythmic Top 40 and CHR/Rhythmic) is an airplay chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The chart tracks and measures the airplay of songs played on ...

music as "Power 98". *March **After 40-plus years in its hometown,

KFMH KFMH (101.9 FM, "Kool 101.9") is a radio station licensed to serve Belle Fourche, South Dakota. The station serves Rapid City, South Dakota, with an on-channel broadcast booster licensed as KFMH-FM1. The station is owned by Oregon Trail Broadcas ...

(99.7 FM) moves its studios from

Muscatine, Iowa Muscatine ( ) is a city in Muscatine County, Iowa, United States. The population was 23,797 at the time of the 2020 census, an increase from 22,697 in 2000. The county seat of Muscatine County, it is located along the Mississippi River. The lo ...

to Davenport. **Cleveland-based Malrite Communications announces it will merge with Shamrock Broadcasting. The merger will be completed in August. *8 March – KKNB/

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

signs on with a modern rock format. *10 March - *12 March – After 10 years in the Top 40/CHR format (with a few moniker and format modifications), WEGX/

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

becomes

smooth jazz Smooth jazz is a genre of commercially-oriented crossover jazz and easy listening music that became dominant in the mid 1970s to the early 1990s. History Smooth jazz is a commercially oriented, crossover jazz which came to prominence in the 19 ...

-formatted WJJZ. Three days later, struggling AC

WKSZ WKSZ (95.9 FM, "Kiss FM") is a Top 40/CHR radio station licensed to De Pere, Wisconsin, serving Green Bay and Appleton- Oshkosh and owned by Woodward Communications. WKSZ's studios are located on College Avenue in Appleton, while its transmi ...

fills the format void by flipping to "Z100." However, due to the presence of nearby

WHTZ WHTZ (100.3 FM broadcasting, FM) is a commercial contemporary hit radio, top 40/CHR station city of license, licensed to Newark, New Jersey and broadcasting to the New York metropolitan area. Owned by iHeartMedia, WHTZ is the Flagship (broadcasti ...

in New York (which is also located on 100.3 FM), the "Z100" moniker will be modified to "Y100". *2 April **After 20 years as an influential

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...

station,

WRBQ-FM WRBQ-FM (104.7 FM, "Q105") is a commercial classic hits music formatted radio station in Tampa, Florida. Owned by Beasley Broadcast Group, its studios are in St. Petersburg while its transmitter is in Palm River-Clair Mel. History Top 40 (197 ...

Tampa Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough County ...

flips to

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

, while keeping its heritage "Q105" moniker. ** KQLZ/

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

(the former "

Pirate Radio Pirate radio or a pirate radio station is a radio station that broadcasts without a valid license. In some cases, radio stations are considered legal where the signal is transmitted, but illegal where the signals are received—especially w ...

") flips from modern rock to

Soft AC Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet sto ...

as "EZ 100.3" after

Westwood One Westwood One is an American radio network There are two types of radio network currently in use around the world: the one-to-many (simplex communication) broadcast network commonly used for public information and mass-media entertainment, and ...

has sold the station to

Viacom Viacom, an abbreviation of Video and Audio Communications, may refer to: * Viacom (1952–2006), a former American media conglomerate * Viacom (2005–2019), a former company spun off from the original Viacom * Viacom18, a joint venture between Par ...

. **

KCMQ KCMQ (96.7 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a classic rock format. Licensed to Columbia, Missouri, the station is currently owned by the Zimmer Radio Group. KCMQ’s signal is 100 kW, being heard throughout Columbia, Lake of the Ozarks, ...

/ Columbia flips from Top 40/CHR to country. *5 April **In

Akron, Ohio Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County, Ohio, Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 C ...

Hot AC Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet s ...

-formatted

WQMX WQMX (94.9 FM broadcasting, FM) is a commercial Radio broadcasting, radio station licensed to Medina, Ohio, carrying a Country music, country format known as "FM 94.9 WQMX". Owned by Rubber City Radio Group, Inc., the station primarily serves the ...

flips to country **Two stations in

Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

flip to country within two days of each other:

-formatted WRHP flips today, while classic rock-formatted

WKFM WKFM is an FM radio station licensed to Huron, Ohio, operating on 96.1 MHz. Its transmitter is in Berlin Heights and its studios are in Milan, along with sister stations WLKR-FM and WLKR (AM). The station is locally owned by Elyria-Lorain Broad ...

flips the next day. *19 April – WAQZ/Cincinnati flips from album rock to modern rock. *30 April –

Virgin Radio Virgin Radio launched in the United Kingdom in 1993. In 2008, Virgin Radio UK was sold to TIML, a subsidiary of The Times of India group, and the name was changed to Absolute Radio; the Virgin Radio name was not included in the sale. In 2001, ...

, originally called Virgin 1215, is launched nationally in the United Kingdom on 1215 kHz at 12.15pm by

Richard Branson Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson (born 18 July 1950) is a British billionaire, entrepreneur, and business magnate. In the 1970s he founded the Virgin Group, which today controls more than 400 companies in various fields. Branson expressed ...

. It subsequently becomes the most listened-to online radio station in the world. *11 May – CHR-formatted WZOU/

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

shifts to

rhythmic CHR Rhythmic may refer to: * Related to rhythm * Rhythmic contemporary, a radio format * Rhythmic adult contemporary, a radio format * Rhythmic gymnastics, a form of gymnastics * Rhythmic (chart) The Rhythmic chart (also called Rhythmic Airplay, a ...

as "Jam'n 94.5", WJMN. *28 May – At 4 PM, WOWF/Detroit drop their 5-month-old talk format and flip to country, becoming one of the first "Young Country" stations. *3 June – Atlantic Ventures, Stoner Broadcasting and Multi Market Communications all merge to form American Radio Systems, consisting of 16 stations in 7 markets. *9 September – Cox and CBS make a swap involving the Dallas and Tampa radio markets. Cox receives AOR WYNF 94.9 "95 YNF" in Tampa from CBS to pair with its WWRM "Warm 107.3", while CBS receives KLRX "Lite 97.9" in Dallas from Cox to pair with its KTXQ "Q-102." KLRX flips to classic rock as KRRW "Arrow 97.9" on 15 October (becoming the second station to use that branding), while Cox moves the "Warm" format from 107.3 to 94.9 and launches 1970s hits WCOF "107.3 The Coast." *10 September – CBS installs the very first 70s-based

classic hits Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes songs from the top 40 music charts from the late 1960s to the early 2000s, with music from the 1980s serving as the core of the format. Music that was popularized by MTV in the early 1980s ...

-formatted "

Arrow An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers c ...

" station on

KCBS-FM KCBS-FM (93.1 MHz) is a commercial radio station in Los Angeles, California, serving Greater Los Angeles. It is owned by Audacy, Inc., and broadcasts an adult hits music format branded as "93.1 Jack FM". Unlike most radio stations airing the ...

/Los Angeles, who drop their 4-year old

oldies Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music (broadly characterized as classic rock and pop rock) from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as we ...

format. *22 September – WLUP-AM/Chicago moves their comedy/talk programming over to their FM sister station, and flips to

sports talk Sports radio (or sports talk radio) is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A widespread programming genre that has a narrow audience appeal, sports radio is characterized by an often- boisterous on-ai ...

as WMVP. *October **Memphis gets its sixth urban-formatted station when WOGY-AM drops the simulcast with its FM sister station and flips to urban oldies as "The Juice", WJCE. **Carl Hirsch launches his new radio group venture, OmniAmerica Communications. *11 October **Westwood One announces it will acquire Unistar Radio Networks for $101.3 million; in addition, Westwood One will sell a 25% equity stake to

Infinity Broadcasting Infinity Broadcasting Corporation was a radio company that existed from 1972 until 2005. It was founded by Michael A. Wiener and Gerald Carrus. It became associated with popular radio personalities like Howard Stern, Opie and Anthony, Don Imus an ...

for $15 million. **KPOI/Honolulu flips from album rock to modern rock. *25 October –

Smooth jazz Smooth jazz is a genre of commercially-oriented crossover jazz and easy listening music that became dominant in the mid 1970s to the early 1990s. History Smooth jazz is a commercially oriented, crossover jazz which came to prominence in the 19 ...

-formatted

KHIH KHIH (99.9 FM) is an American terrestrial radio station based in Liberty, Texas. It serves part of the Golden Triangle and is owned by Hope Media Group (formerly KSBJ Educational Foundation). The station is part of a pentacast with 4 other owned ...

/Denver flips to religious programming; the format void will be filled by AC-formatted KHOW-FM a few days later. *November ** WWKS/Pittsburgh flips from classic rock to hard rock. **Booth American Company and Broadcast Alchemy announce plans of a merger, with the newly combined company getting 11 stations in 7 markets and $160 million. In addition, Metroplex Communications will merge with Clear Channel, a deal worth $53 million. *10 November – KQBR/Sacramento drops country for

*12 November – After 23 years in the country format,

KLAC KLAC (570 AM) is a commercial sports radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, serving Greater Los Angeles and much of surrounding Southern California. Owned by a joint venture between iHeartMedia, Inc. and the Los Angeles Dodgers bas ...

/Los Angeles flips to Unistar's adult standards "AM Only" format. *15 November – Top 40/CHR-formatted WYAV/Myrtle Beach flips to

classic rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, primar ...

, and became an affiliate of

The Howard Stern Show ''The Howard Stern Show'' is an American radio show hosted by Howard Stern that gained wide recognition when it was nationally syndicated on terrestrial radio from WXRK in New York City, between 1986 and 2005. The show has aired on Howard 100 a ...

. *19 November – The "Arrow" format is expanded to two adult contemporary-formatted stations in two markets; in Washington, D.C., WLTT adopts the format, while in Houston,

KLTR KLTR 94.1 FM is a radio station broadcasting an adult contemporary format. The station is currently licensed to Brenham, Texas, with a construction permit in place to move the facility farther north and upgrade the facility to 50 kilowatts wit ...

flips to the format four days later. *16 December –

96WEFM 96WEFM is an FM radio station broadcasting on 96.1 MHz in the country of Trinidad and Tobago. The commercial radio station is privately owned by Trinidad and Tobago Radio Network Limited and began broadcasting on December 16, 1993. The radio st ...

begins broadcasting in

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

. *31 December –

RIAS Berlin RIAS (german: Rundfunk im amerikanischen Sektor; en, ''Radio in the American Sector'') was a radio and television station in the American Sector of Berlin during the Cold War. It was founded by the US occupational authorities after World War ...

closes down following

German reunification German reunification (german: link=no, Deutsche Wiedervereinigung) was the process of re-establishing Germany as a united and fully sovereign state, which took place between 2 May 1989 and 15 March 1991. The day of 3 October 1990 when the Ge ...

Debuts

* Art Bell begins national

syndication Syndication may refer to: * Broadcast syndication, where individual stations buy programs outside the network system * Print syndication, where individual newspapers or magazines license news articles, columns, or comic strips * Web syndication, ...

of his late night talk show.

November

*1:

Flagler College Flagler College is a private liberal arts college in St. Augustine, Florida. It was founded in 1968 and offers 33 undergraduate majors and one master's program. It also has a campus in Tallahassee. History Founded in 1968, the campus compri ...

WFCF WFCF (88.5 FM) is a radio station broadcasting an eclectic college radio format. Licensed to St. Augustine, Florida, United States. The station is owned by Flagler College. The Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications ...

/88.5 begins broadcasting with a 12-hour-per-day schedule and a power level of 6 kilowatts (later to be upped to 10 kW)

Endings/Closings

Bill Ballance Willis Bennett Ballance (October 27, 1918 – September 23, 2004) was an American radio talk show host. Ballance was born in Peoria, Illinois, and studied journalism at the University of Illinois before serving in the United States Marines., R ...

retires from radio after more than 50 years in the industry. *'' DZCA 1170'' finally ends due to lack of funding.

April

*28:

Salty Brine Salty Brine, born Walter Leslie Brine (August 5, 1918 – November 2, 2004 ), was a well-known broadcaster in Rhode Island. Early life At age 10, he lost one of his legs, attempting to jump onto a freight train near his home in Arlington, Massach ...

, longtime morning host at WPRO does his last program on that station.

September

*3 – Final broadcast of Unistar's "Solid Gold Country," a five-day-a-week country gold program, after 10 years, the last 8-1/2 of which were as a daily one-hour program. The final show's topic spotlights songs from award-winning albums. *Final broadcast of ''

Bit, byte, gebissen ''Bit, byte, gebissen'' was a German radio program. It was the first program on computer topics, produced by the Bayerischer Rundfunk (Bavarian Broadcasting). ''Bit, byte, gebissen'' was broadcast from October 1985 to September 1993. The idea was ...

'', a German program on computer topics, produced by the

Bayerischer Rundfunk Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR; "Bavarian Broadcasting") is a public-service radio and television broadcaster, based in Munich, capital city of the Free State of Bavaria in Germany. BR is a member organization of the ARD consortium of public broadcas ...

(Bavarian Broadcasting).

Births

*28 January: Roman Kemp, English radio music presenter. *23 September:

Lloyd Cadena Lloyd Cafe Cadena (September 23, 1993 – September 4, 2020) was a Filipino vlogger, radio personality, and author. He was one of the most popular YouTubers in his native Philippines, with over 5.86 million subscribers on the platform at t ...

, Filipino vlogger and radio personality on 90.7 Love Radio (d. 2020).

Deaths

*25 November: Harry Elders, 84, American radio actor and announcer. *28 November:

Garry Moore Garry Moore (born Thomas Garrison Morfit; January 31, 1915 – November 28, 1993) was an American entertainer, comedic personality, game show host, and humorist best known for his work in television. He began a long career with the CBS network ...

, 78, American entertainer, game show host and comedian.Cox, Jim (2008). ''This Day in Network Radio: A Daily Calendar of Births, Debuts, Cancellations and Other Events in Broadcasting History''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . *28 December:

William L. Shirer William Lawrence Shirer (; February 23, 1904 – December 28, 1993) was an American journalist and war correspondent. He wrote ''The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich'', a history of Nazi Germany that has been read by many and cited in scholarly w ...

, 89, American war correspondent.

References

{{reflist Radio by year